⚔️What to Play After Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a hard act to follow because it combined two things that rarely go together: FromSoftware's combat and a genuinely open world. What you play next depends on which half you actually loved.
This list splits by exactly that — the combat, the exploration, or the sense of a hostile world that never explains itself.
If you loved the combat
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
Deflection-based duelling with no build variety — pure skill. Harder than Elden Ring, and it clicks all at once.
Bloodborne (2015)
- PS4
- PS5
Aggressive, faster combat with a rally system that rewards attacking after taking damage. Still the best-atmosphere FromSoftware game.
Lies of P (2023)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
The most polished non-FromSoftware Soulslike, with weapon assembly and precise parrying. Belle Époque Pinocchio, played straight.
Nioh 2 (2020)
- PC
- PS5
Stance-switching combat with far more depth than a Souls game, plus loot. Mission-based rather than open.
Dark Souls III (2016)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
The tightest linear FromSoftware game, and the natural next step if the open world was the part you skipped.
If you loved the open world
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
- Switch
- Wii U
The other open world built on curiosity rather than icons. Far gentler, equally good at rewarding a detour.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
- Switch
The same Hyrule with building tools and a sky and underground layer. Enormous, and the most creative sandbox on this list.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
- Switch
If you wanted the world to talk back more, this is it — side quests with real writing and consequences.
Dragon's Dogma 2 (2024)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
A dangerous, poorly-explained world where travel is the challenge. The closest thing to Elden Ring's sense of distance.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (2024)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
If you have not played the expansion, start here — it is the size of a full game and considerably harder.
If you loved the mystery and atmosphere
Hollow Knight (2017)
- PC
- PS4
- Xbox
- Switch
A 2D world with the same refusal to explain itself and the same rewarding exploration. Enormous and cheap.
Outer Wilds (2019)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox
- Switch
Progress is entirely knowledge-based, which is Elden Ring's lore hunting turned into the whole game.
Death's Door (2021)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox
- Switch
An isometric action game with Souls pacing at a much lower difficulty. About twelve hours.
Blasphemous 2 (2023)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox
- Switch
Grim religious imagery and cryptic questlines in a 2D Metroidvania. The closest thing to FromSoftware's tone in 2D.
Armored Core VI (2023)
- PC
- PS5
- Xbox Series X|S
FromSoftware, but mechs and mission-based. The boss design language will feel immediately familiar.
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